Shoe-inflater



No. 622,I37. Patented Mar. 28, |899.

L. FITZJARRELL.

SHOE INFLATER.

(Application led June 27, 189B.)

(No Model.)

UNITED STATES 'PATENT OFFICE..

LEON FITZJARRELL, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

sHoEmFLATER.

SPECFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 622,137, dated March 28, 1899.

' Application flied June 27,1898. serial No. 684,575. (No model.)

To all 'whom t muy concern:

Be it known that I, LEON FITZJAEEELL, a citizen of the United States, residing at 209 North Carey street, Baltimore, in the State of Maryland, have invented a new and useful Shoe-Inflater, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part thereof.

My invention relates to improvements iu inflatable shoe-formers intended for insertion into a shoe and for the inflation of the front portion of the shoe to impart to the Same a neat symmetrical appearance for show purposes, assimilating the appearance of the shoe on the foot of a wearer.

To this end the invention consists in an in- Iiatable shoe-former, constructed as hereinafter described and claimed, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, wherein- Figure l is a top plan view of the former. Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof. Fig. 3 is a section on the line C C, Fig. 2; and Fig. 4 is a section on the line D D, Fig.-2.

In the said drawings the reference-numeral l indicates the shoe-former, which is entirely hollow; and it consists of a shell of rubber or equivalent material, the rear part A of the wall of said shell, or that portion which when the former is disposed in a shoe fits the rear part of the shoe, is composed of non-innatable hard rubber or equivalent material, while the front part or portion B thereof is constructed of soft rubber or equivalent material having that degree of elasticity which gives it the capacity of being inflated.

The letter e indicates an iniiating valve or nozzle which may be of any known construction, its purpose being merely to admit of a supply of air or liquid to the interior of the hollow former, whereby the inatable front portion of the latter may be distended.

If the rear part of the wall of the shell, which I construct of non-inflatable material, was composed of elastic material or material capable of being inflated, the introduction of the inating substance, such as air or liquid, would bulge or round out the same and the shoe in which it is introduced and result in an unsightlyand abnormal appearance of the shoe, a condition which is extremely objectionable when the shoe is exposed for show purposes, the sole object of such exposition being to exhibit the shoe so that it will have a neat appearance, such as it possesses when upon the foot of a wearer. I avoid this objection by constructing the rear part of the Wall of the shell of non-iniatable material,

as above described. The air or liquid for inflat-ing the front portion of the former passes through the hollow rear portion thereof and Alls said rear portion, giving it increased stability against inward collapsing. The inflating substance, however, Will not distend or iufiate the rear portion, which retains its original shape.

The front portion of the former, as before stated, is of material having the capacity of being inflated vto accurately fill out the proportions of the shoe and give the same the appearance which the shoe will have upon the foot of a wearer.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is-h l. The herein-described hollow shoe-former, consisting of a shell, the rear portion of the wall of which is composed of non-inflatable material, and the front portion of the wall of which is composed of iniiatable material, substantially as described.

2. The'herein-described hollow shoe-former, consisting of a shell, the rear portion of the wall of which is composed of non-innatable hard rubber, and the front portion of the wall of which is composed of infiatable rubber, substantially as described.

LEON FITZJARRELL. Witnesses: p

E. B. CARNEY,

HARRY E. ADAMS. 

